USA > Illinois > McLean County > The good old times in McLean County, Illinois : containing two hundred and sixty-one sketches of old settlers, a complete historical sketch of the Black Hawk war and descriptions of all matters of interest relating to McLean County > Part 47
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Mr. Robison endured the trials to which nearly all of the early settlers were subjected. He worked for fifty cents per day, cradled wheat for that, and was glad of the opportunity.
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Ormond Robison had ten children, of whom five are now living. They are :
Mrs. Sarilda Beeler, wife of Benjamin Beeler, who lives on the east side of Twin Grove. Her aged mother, Mrs. Robison, resides with her.
Levi Preston Robison lives at New Windsor, Knox County, Illinois.
Mrs. Louisa Williams, wife of Philip Williams, lives on the old homestead at White Oak Grove, in Woodford County.
George Hamilton Robison lives at White Oak Grove in Woodford County.
Mrs. Neety Ann Benson, wife of George H. Benson, lives in Champaign County, Illinois.
Ormond Robison was a man of medimm height, rather slim, pretty strong and very healthy. He had seldom or never been siek, before he contracted the disease which was fatal to him. He was a good workman and pretty skillful at anything, whether it was farming, carpenter work or blacksmithing. He was pretty successful in life, and by his skill and industry acquired enough property to make him comfortable.
JOHN ENLOW.
John Enlow was born June 15, 1801, in Christian County, Kentucky. His father's name was Abraham Enlow, and his mother's name before her marriage was Jemima Johnson. John Enlow was partly of Dutch descent. He married in February, 1826, Catherine Lander. He lived on a farm in Kentucky, which he sold on coming to Illinois, which was in the fall of 1835. IIe had no particular adventure on his journey. On his arrival he settled on the east side of Twin Grove on the prairie and went to farming. He was a consistent member of the Baptist Church, which he joined three or four years after he came to the West. He died April 19, 1860. He had eight children, seven of whom are now living. They are :
Mrs. Sally Ann Depew, widow of Joel Depew, lives in Bloom- ington.
Mrs. Jemima Jane Myers, wife of Aaron Myers, lives in Bloomington.
James Enlow lives near Covel in Dale township.
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Mrs. Ann Eliza Kennedy, wife of William L. Kennedy, lives in Bloomington.
John Enlow, jr., and Jesse Enlow both live near the east side of Twin Grove, on parts of the homestead land.
Mrs. Ella Shope, wife of Adam Shope, lives in Bloomingtonu. Mr. John Enlow was six feet in height and rather a slender man. He had a dark complexion, dark hair and eyes. He was a kind father to his family and a very honest and much respected man.
ELEAZER MUNSELL.
Eleazer Munsell was born July 28, 1824, in Seneca County, Ohio. His father's name was Roswell Munsell and his mother's name was Sarah Austin. Eleazer Munsell lived in Ohio until the year 1831, when he came with his father's family to Laporte County, Indiana. There he lived until 1837 when he came to Illinois.
While he lived in Indiana he was often accustomed to go hunting with the little Indian boys and kill birds and sqirrels with their bows and arrows. He frequently attended Indian dances, and has often seen the Pottawatomies perform their war dance, smoke the pipe of peace and go through with their reli- gious ceremonies. At their war dances they had weasel skins to which bells were attached. They would divide into two parties and come together with their weasel skins and war clubs, and pretend to kill each other. Some would fall down, apparently lifeless, while others would go through the motions of scalping. They would often collect together in a wigwam and dance to the music of a gourd containing stones or shot. Sometimes they would hit each other a tap with a weasel skin ; this was an invi- tation to dance. The young braves asked the young squaws to dance by tapping them with the weasel skin, and the young squaws asked the braves to dance in the same way. They began dancing in the morning, and at about one o'clock stopped for dinner, which consisted of soup made of dried meat, dried corn and dried blood, all boiled together in copper kettles. They ate their dinner out of large wooden bowls, which held six or eight gallons. Each had a ladle and helped himself. About a dozen of them sat down in a place, and ate out of a bowl. The dance
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was generally continued in the afternoon and evening and lasted usually two days. At the end of two days they had a religious ceremony, the sacrifice of a white dog. On one of these grand occasions, when about five hundred Indians were present, the chief became drunk, and the white dog was not burned as the ceremony required. When it was pretty well roasted, it was snatched from the fire and eaten up. The sacrifice of the white dog usually ended the dance. While the young braves and squaws were dancing, the old folks would 'gather into a wigwam and smoke the pipe of peace. Each would smoke and hand the pipe to his neighbor until it went clear around. The Indians were very still in their dances and said nothing until one of them struck another with a weasel skin, as an invitation to dance. The strik- ing with the weasel skin was accompanied by an exclamation "ye pooh," and no other words were spoken. Mr. Munsell says that so far as he had any dealings with the Indians he found them very honorable and friendly. They were peaceable even when drunk. The Indian braves never failed to get drunk whenever they had an opportunity. They raised corn sometimes, which was tended by squaws, who cultivated it with hoes altogether, digging up the hills as high as if for sweet potatoes. Whenever they moved they packed everything on their ponies, even their dogs and squaws. Their pappooses were carried lashed to a board, from which they were not usually taken for several months. These boards had attached to them pieces of buckskin, which went around the heads of the squaws. When the squaws came into camp they cut branches of trees and set them up and hung the pappooses to them or to the limbs of trees. It was the duty of the squaws to chop the wood and build the fires in the middle of the wigwams. Around a fire sat an Indian and his family on mattresses made of rushes. The Indians cooked fish, chickens, muskrats, squirrels, coons, venison, and in fact every kind of meat they might happen to have, in a kettle at once. In the spring-time the Indians caught sugar water in troughs made of birch bark, with the ends stopped up by drawing them together and sewing them tight. These troughs would usually be large enough to hold a bucket of water.
The Black Hawk war in 1832 was a great event in the West. and the scare extended to Indiana, where the settlers built forts for protection. Mr. Munsell lived for six months in a fort.
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The Munsell family came to Twin Grove, MeLean County, Illinois, in the spring of 1837. They arrived here on the first of June. Mr. Munsell, sr., after farming for some time, broke up housekeeping and lived with his eldest son. He died in 1854. He brought the first threshing machine to the country from Indi- ana. It was a machine which only threshed the wheat. It was necessary after threshing the wheat to rake off the straw and run the mixed wheat and chaff through a fanning mill and a sepa- rator.
Eleazer Munsell has often driven stock to Chicago. He re- members one very exciting adventure with a drove of cattle and sheep, which he was taking to Chicago. When he arrived near Pontiac they became frightened one night at about eleven o'clock, by wolves, and stampeded. The cattle ran over the sheep and killed some thirty of them. The men in charge of the cattle did everything possible for two hours to quiet them, but notwith- standing all exertions, about fifty head of cattle broke away. Their trail was followed the next day, and they were found near Lexington and brought back. Mr. Munsell says that the excite- ment during a stampede is intense, and he never wishes to see another.
The prices of cattle formerly varied very much and sometimes were so low as to seem almost to be given away. Mr. Munsell bought good cows for six dollars apiece, and good yokes of oxen for twenty-five dollars. He has bought sheep for fifty cents per head. He has sold number one fall wheat for twenty-five cents per bushel, and oats for five cents.
Mr. Munsell married, October 24, 1850, Zerilda Perry, and has seven children living. Mrs. Munsell is a very kind lady, and thinks everything of her children. She likes to see them do well at school, and takes a great interest in the progress they make in their studies.
Eleazer Munsell is six feet in height. His hair begins to show the effect of time, and a few gray hairs make their appearance in his beard. He is very clever, loves a joke as well as Abraham Lincoln ever did; is very kind to his family; is careful in the management of his farm; has been successful in life, and is much respected by his neighbors. His face is broad and good- natured, and it indicates good feeling and good sense.
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Mr. Munsell's children are : Milou, who attends school at Eureka ; Stephen Alpheus, Zerilda, John Roswell, Josephine, Minnie Warren, and Austin Eleazer, who all live at home.
EMPIRE.
ROBERT FRANKLIN DICKERSON.
As Mr. Dickerson is known to be quite lively with his quill, the author requested him to write a sketch of his life, and he has given the following, which is very interesting :
I was born in Hamilton County, Illinois, October 30, 1822. My father, Michael Dickerson, died in 1836. My mother is vet living and is seventy-one years old past. We emigrated to this county, then Fayette, in 1825, and settled near Sugar Creek, near the western line of the county. In 1826 my parents moved to Randolph's Grove, to the place where Martin L. Bishop now lives. My father built a small water mill on Kickapoo, where the early settlers came to get their grinding done. Many a day I have sat and fed in the flour to be bolted.
On the 23rd of June, 1827, the great storm came, which rooted up and blew down the trees in its course through Old Town tim- ber. In the fall of 1828 my father sold his claim and his mill to William Hampton, a Tennesseean, who is remembered by many who are yet living. My father then settled at Long Point, now in De Witt County, and lived there until the fall of 1830. IIe then sold his claim to Frederick Troxwell and purchased the claim of Mr. Bennett, where Henry C. Dickerson now lives, near the present town of Leroy. He moved on this place November 2, 1830. The famous deep snow began falling December 3 of the following winter, and continued nearly every day through the fore part of January, 1831. Iwell remember the events of those days and could give the names of all old settlers around the groves of McLean County.
The hydrophobia broke out among the canine race domestica- ted, in 1832, and two persons were said to have been bitten; but the only suffering they endured resulted from distress of mind. I am no great lover of dogs.
The great fall of meteors occurred November 14, 1833. They seemed to be showers of fiery rain falling to the ground.
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At the first school I ever attended I was allowed to do pretty much as I pleased. I went out of the school-room and came back when I pleased, and no one dared to molest me or make me afraid. But at the next school I attended, in 1832, I was obliged to do a little as others said. I went to school for a while to lame William Johnson, now of Kansas and learned to spell as far as " baker," " brier," etc. I next went to Amasa C. Washburn, now of your city. He once chastised me for fighting, but the boys had to be dealt with severely then, though not more so than some boys should be dealt with now. A larger boy kicked my dog and I gave the vicious lad a blow in the eye. Mr. Washburn caught ns at this interesting performance and at evening after prayer he said : "Reuben, 'I will have to chastise you," and Reuben re- ceived five gentle strokes with a switch, and was dismissed. I and Mr. Washburn then remained about half an hour enjoying each other's society. That licking hurt me.
Mr. Washburn and his lady taught the first Sabbath school I ever attended.
I am sorry to say that in my youthful days I played some rather practical jokes. Old Uncle Thomas Tovery, M. E. preach- er, once held church at the school-house, and during the progress of the services I and another boy outside arranged a cat and dog fight, and the terrible scrimmage, the howls of the cat and the barking of the dog, broke up the services. The people ran out and said: "Kill the cat, it's mad; take up the dog, run ;" etc. We were obliged to tell what we did, in order to save the cat's life. Uncle Tom's text was : "I am the bright and the morning star, the first and the last." Old Uncle Tom is dead ; he departed this life at Oskaloosa, Iowa.
This grove was settled by John Buckles, sr., in 1828. He was a heavy man, weighing three hundred and eighty pounds. The Buckles family were Virginians, but part of them are Suck- ers, being born in this State. Some of them live among us yet. They are kind-hearted, generous and hospitable people, and love to hunt and fish. James Merrifield, sr., now deceased, with his family, settled here in the spring of 1830. Daniel and Henry Crumbaugh and Otho Merrifield, are early settlers, now living. Ambrose Hall, now of Atlanta, Logan County, Illinois, was an early settler. Thomas O. Rutledge, sr., was about to remove to
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this grove, but he sickened and died, August 20, 1830, and was buried in the cemetery east of Leroy. We have one soldier of the war of 1812; it is Daniel Crumbaugh, who fought under General Harrison.
I grew up to manhood very much as other boys have done. I have worked hard, have plowed for twenty-five cents per day, chopped wood for thirty, reaped wheat for fifty cents per day and cradled for fifty. I carried from Salt Creek the stone which was placed at the northeast corner of Leroy, and for this I received from A. Gridley the sum of twenty-five cents. I have had many dealings with Gridley and Covel, and always found them gentle- men. I paid my first tax of sixty-six cents to William McCul- lough, and received a receipt from his deputy, B. H. Coffey. It reads :
" Rec'd of Robert F. Dickerson 66 cts in full of his State & County Tax for the year 1844.
" WM. MCCULLOUGHI, Col. By B. H. COFFEY."
I was married, January 1, 1845, to Miss Harriet R. Karr. We kept house for three months on rented lands, without bedstead, chair or table. I had one pony, but no cow, hog, sheep or money. My wife, Harriet, was the only daughter of her father, Jacob Karr, by his first marriage. We have raised nine children, all of whom are living. When the rebellion broke out I sent two of my sons into the army. In political matters I have voted for men, when I knew them, regardless of party, but if I was unac- quainted with the candidates I voted the Democratic ticket. I voted for Stephen A. Douglas. I took the stump for the Indian- apolis, Bloomington and Western Railroad. I have considered it a privilege to help the soldiers and their widows and orphans. My children are nine in numher. They are :
Merrit M. Dickerson, who lives in Monticello, Illinois. He was in the army for a short time during the rebellion. He en- listed, February 15, 1865, in the Ninety-fourth Illinois, and was present at the battles of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley. He was afterwards transferred to the Thirty-seventh Illinois, became clerk at headquarters at Galveston, Texas, and was discharged in February, 1866, at Houston, Texas.
James L. Dickerson lives one mile northeast of Leroy.
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Martha E., wife of George Pray, lives at Smithland, Johnson County, Kansas.
Emma E. Dickerson was, during the last year, a school-teacher at Heyworth.
Clara C., Ida May, Franklin jr., Mary and Hattie, (the pet,) live at home.
HENRY CALEB DICKERSON.
Henry C. Dickerson was born August 30, 1825, in Hamilton County, Illinois. His father's name was Michael Dickerson, and his mother's name before her marriage was Jane Rutledge. She still lives near Leroy with her youngest son Wesley. The Dick- erson family emigrated to that part of Fayette County, which now forms the county of MeLean, in 1825, and settled near Sugar Creek, not far from the western boundary of the present MeLean County. In 1826 the family moved to Randolph's Grove, and afterwards to Buckles' Grove.
Mr. Dickerson attended school during three months in the year, until he was twenty years of age. He first attended a school kept by William Johnson, usually called " lame Billy." His plan of teaching was the one common to the time, that is, to re- quire the scholars to study their lessons aloud. Sometimes " lame Billy" would come to the school-room in bad humor, and, in- deed, he was very changeable in his disposition. He usually made a profession of religion about once a month. At one time while coming home from meeting, where he had made a profes- sion of religion, a prairie chicken flew up near the head of his horse, and the animal took fright and threw him to the ground. Under the excitement of the moment he used profane language and swore at his luck. Since that .time all kinds of misfortune have been called Johnson's luck. Mr. Dickerson also attended school kept by A. C. Washburn.
In the year 1845, Mr. Dickerson commenced farming on his own account, and soon afterwards began stock-raising. He bought stock first for other people and afterwards for himself. He first bought forty aeres near Leroy, but afterwards bought the home- stead farm, containing one hundred and sixty acres, and known as the Michael Dickerson place. On this place is a large apple tree, which was planted by Michael Dickerson. The trunk of the
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tree is nine feet and nine inches in circumference. It is of the variety called "Lady-finger." It bears fruit every year, and du- ring one season bore forty-five bushels of apples. Henry C. Diekerson has now nearly one thousand acres of land in McLean County, and between five and six hundred in Kansas. He is quick to see what will pay. He and his son-in-law, Hobart, built the large flouring-mill at Leroy, at a cost of $35,000. It is one of the best in the State. Mr. Dickerson is not now interested in it.
In the year 1849 he bought a great deal of stock in the West- ern States for Crawford & Miller in Champaign County, Ohio. During this time he traveled on horseback, from Fort Des Moines to Oskaloosa, Iowa. He had with him fifteen thousand dollars. On his journey he came to the hollow or bank of a creek, and there found a band of thieves, belonging to the celebrated Red- don, Long and Fox gang. They gave him a sharp chase, but his good horse saved him. The next morning from fifty to one hun- dred men went out to hunt the gang, and found one of the Longs, a boy of nineteen. He was tied to a tree and whipped in order to compel him to tell where the remainder of the gang were con- cealed. Mr. Dickerson could not bear the sight of the whipping and went away. The gang was not captured. Mr. Dickerson was very successful during this trip, though at one time his cattle gave him some trouble by stampeding.
In 1871 Mr. Dickerson took a pleasure excursion to Califor- nia. He started in April of that year, in company with two friends, Mr. MeKenny and Rev. J. B. Seymour. On their route they stopped at Salt Lake City and called on Brigham Young. They were introduced to the Mormon Prophet by Mr. Wickizer, who performed the ceremony in a peculiar manner. He said : "This is Mr. Dickerson, an enlightened heathen." The remainder of the company were introduced in the same manner. Brigham Young is a pleasant, unassuming man, lives in a ten-acre spot surrounded by a stone wall. In this enclosure is his large dwell- ing and various houses for his many wives. The tabernacle is a large edifice, and accommodates about fifteen thousand worship- pers. The organ in the tabernacle cost an immense sum of money, and is remarkable for its fine tone. Mr. Dickerson was favorably impressed with Salt Lake City, its theatre, beautiful
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shops, and streams of water flowing down from the mountain and forming rivulets on both sides of the streets. He listened to the preaching of Orson Pratt, and was much pleased with the elo- quence of this Mormon divine.
On the twenty-seventh of October, 1850, Mr. Diekerson mar- ried Miss Leodiey Maxwell, only daughter of William Maxwell, of Old Town. He has had five children. They are :
Elizabeth Jane, wife of Gilbert J. Hobart. She lives one and a half miles southwest of her father's.
Cordelia, wife of Joseph Patterson, lives in Leroy.
Adalaide, Rosaline and Georgie Belle live at home.
Mr. Dickerson is five feet and ten inches in height, is well proportioned, has blue eyes, which do not require spectacles, is very quiet in his manner and is a first-class business man. His memorygis remarkably good. During his western trip in 1849, he bought three hundred and fifty-seven head of cattle, and he can call to mind the price paid for each one of them. The father of Henry C. Diekerson was Michael Dickerson. The following are the names of his children, seven in number :
James W. Dickerson lives in California.
Sarah Ann, wife of Roley Williams, lives near Leroy.
Robert Franklin Dickerson, whose sketch appears in this volume.
Henry C. Dickerson, whose sketch appears above.
Caleb C. Dickerson lives about three miles southwest of Leroy.
Matilda, widow of John M. Downing, lives near Leroy.
Wesley Dickerson lives three and one-half miles southwest of Leroy.
THOMAS BUCKLES.
Thomas Buckles was born January 18, 1812, in White County, Illinois. His father's house was burnt while the old gentleman was serving with the rangers and protecting the frontier. His father moved to Edwards County at an early day, from there to Sangamon County, and in 1824 he went to Lake Fork, Logan County. He traveled with an ox-team, and was exposed to the weather. He camped one night near Horse Creek, and was sleeping under the wagon when it rained so hard that they were
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overflowed, and the water came down the hillside and ran over their bed on which they were sleeping. They crossed Lick Creek by making a raft and bringing over their stock with it. Mr. Buckles, sr., was received by his son Robert in Logan County and built a house there. In this work he was helped by the Indians, who were good neighbors. They gave a dance when the house- raising was ended. One of the Indians became drunk, but was carried away and tied down until he could sober off.
Thomas Buckles' experience with the Indians began at an early date. When he was a very little boy he was chased by some Indians, who seemed anxious to take him prisoner, but his heels and his cunning saved him. He hid in the grass and wil- lows of a creek so that even the Indians did not find him. After the Indians left him he heard a mournful noise and found a coon with its hair burnt off by a prairie fire which had passed over the country a short time previous. The Buckles boys were accus- tomed to run races with the Indians and wrestle with them and engage with them in all kinds of athletic sports. At one time a party of Indians came to run races. They bet their buckskins against whatever was put up. They called on Andrew Buckles, a brother of Thomas, and put up their buckskins against some watermelons. Andrew ran with an Indian named Little Turkey, and allowed the latter to come out ahead in the first race. Then both parties put up larger bets for a second race, and this time Andrew came out ahead. Andrew was indeed a swift runner. He returned to Tennessee, and while there once saw some dogs after a deer; he immediately ran after it himself, intending to catch it before it reached the Cumberland River. But the deer reached the river a little ahead and plunged in and Andrew fol- lowed it. He out-swam the deer and killed it by drowning.
In 1827 the Buckles family left Logan County and came to Buckles' Grove. Here they devoted themselves to farming and hunting.
Thomas Buckles' experience with the deep snow was interest- ing. A few days before the heavy fall of snow came, Thomas and Peter Buekles and Alvin Barnett started out to hunt for wild hogs. They killed several pigs and three or four deer. They stopped, during the night before the heavy snowfall, with a man named Mulkie. It was clear and beautiful and the stars were
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bright and thick in the sky. The morning opened clear and Mulkie started to accompany Thomas Buckles home. Soon a bank of snow arose and it began to fall. When they had gone four miles they abandoned their wagon and followed the oxen. The snow fell so fast that they could not see ten feet ahead of them, and the snow and icicles collected and froze two or three inches thick on their cheeks. Mr. Buckles says it came as fast as if it were thrown with a scoop-shovel. When within two miles of home they were almost broken down, but they took hold of the tails of their steers and were pulled safely through. The snow was then more than three feet deep. Mulkie was com- pletely exhausted, and could do nothing but sleep. Mr. Buckles says that when he arrived home he stayed there during the re- mainder of the snow storm, and had no ambition for travel.
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